Bootstraps taxometrics. Solving the classification problem in psychopathology.

Classification in psychopathology is a problem in applied mathematics; it answers the empirical question "Is the latent structure of these phenotypic indicator correlations taxonic (categories) or nontaxonic (dimensions, factors)?" It is not a matter of convention or preference. Two taxometric procedures, MAMBAC and MAXCOV-HITMAX, provide independent tests of the taxonic conjecture and satisfactorily accurate estimates of the taxon base rate, the latent means, and the valid and false-positive rates achievable by various cuts. The method requires no gold standard criterion, applying crude fallible diagnostic "criteria" only in the phase of discovery to identify plausible candidate indicators. Confidence in the inference to taxonic structure and numerical accuracy of latent values is provided by multiple consistency tests, hence the term coherent cut kinetics for the general approach. Further revision of diagnostic systems should be based on taxometric analysis rather than on committee decisions based on clinical impressions and nontaxometric research.

[1]  E. Tolman.  Purposive behavior in animals and men , 1932 .

[2]  F. W. Irwin.  Purposive Behavior in Animals and Men , 1932, The Psychological Clinic.

[3]  K. Maccorquodale,et al.  On a distinction between hypothetical constructs and intervening variables. , 1948, Psychological review.

[4]  Herbert Feigl,et al.  Existential Hypotheses. Realistic versus Phenomenalistic Interpretations , 1950, Philosophy of Science.

[5]  L. Cronbach,et al.  Construct validity in psychological tests. , 1955, Psychological bulletin.

[6]  M. Kendall,et al.  The Logic of Scientific Discovery. , 1959 .

[7]  Paul E. Meehl,et al.  Some ruminations on the validation of clinical procedures. , 1959 .

[8]  P. Meehl.  Schizotaxia, Schizotypy, Schizophrenia , 1962 .

[9]  K. Popper,et al.  Conjectures and Refutations , 1963 .

[10]  Knut Westlund,et al.  One cause? Many causes? The argument from the bimodal distribution , 1964 .

[11]  Paul E. Meehl,et al.  Specific genetic etiology, psychodynamics, and therapeutic nihilism. , 1972 .

[12]  P. Meehl.  Psychodiagnosis: Selected Papers , 1973 .

[13]  R. Swinburne,et al.  The Philosophy of Karl Popper , 1975 .

[14]  Paul E. Meehl,et al.  Specific Etiology and Other Forms of Strong Influence: Some Quantitative Meanings , 1977 .

[15]  P. Meehl.  Theoretical risks and tabular asterisks: Sir Karl, Sir Ronald, and the slow progress of soft psychology. , 1978 .

[16]  P. Meehl,et al.  A funny thing happened to us on the way to the latent entities. , 1979, Journal of personality assessment.

[17]  W. Newton-Smith.  The rationality of science , 1983 .

[18]  R. Michels,et al.  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd ed , 1981 .

[19]  Philip C. Kendall,et al.  Handbook of research methods in clinical psychology , 1982 .

[20]  J. Watkins,et al.  Science and Scepticism. , 1987 .

[21]  J. Woodward,et al.  Scientific Explanation and the Causal Structure of the World , 1988 .

[22]  I. Hacking,et al.  Representing and Intervening. , 1986 .

[23]  R. Miner,et al.  The empiricist and his new clothes: DSM-III in perspective. , 1986, The American journal of psychiatry.

[24]  Paul E. Meehl,et al.  Diagnostic taxa as open concepts: Metatheoretical and statistical questions about reliability and construct validity in the grand strategy of nosological revision. , 1986 .

[25]  K. Maccorquodale,et al.  Analysis and Integration of Behavioral Units , 1986 .

[26]  Gary James Jason,et al.  The Logic of Scientific Discovery , 1988 .

[27]  P. Meehl,et al.  Schizotaxia revisited. , 1989, Archives of general psychiatry.

[28]  P. Meehl.  Appraising and Amending Theories: The Strategy of Lakatosian Defense and Two Principles that Warrant It , 1990 .

[29]  A. Rabin.  Studying persons and lives , 1990 .

[30]  Paul E. Meehl,et al.  Toward an Integrated Theory of Schizotaxia, Schizotypy, and Schizophrenia , 1990 .

[31]  P. Meehl.  Why Summaries of Research on Psychological Theories are Often Uninterpretable , 1990 .

[32]  Martin Carrier,et al.  What is wrong with the miracle argument , 1991 .

[33]  W. Grove.  When is a diagnosis worth making? A statistical comparison of two prediction strategies. , 1991, Psychological reports.

[34]  M. Lenzenweger,et al.  Confirming the latent structure and base rate of schizotypy: a taxometric analysis. , 1992, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[35]  P. Meehl.  The miracle argument for realism: An important lesson to be learned by generalizing from carrier's counter-examples , 1992 .

[36]  P. Meehl.  Factors and Taxa, Traits and Types, Differences of Degree and Differences in Kind , 1992 .

[37]  P. Meehl,et al.  Simple regression-based procedures for taxometric investigations. , 1993, Psychological reports.

[38]  P. Meehl.  Philosophy of Science: Help or Hindrance? , 1993 .

[39]  Paul E. Meehl,et al.  Taxometric analysis. I: Detecting taxonicity with two quantitative indicators using means above and below a sliding cut (MAMBAC procedure) , 1994 .

[40]  G. Harris,et al.  Psychopathy as a taxon: evidence that psychopaths are a discrete class. , 1994, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[41]  M. Lenzenweger,et al.  Schizotypal Personality: Tracking the taxon: on the latent structure and base rate of schizotypy , 1995 .

[42]  D. Lubinski,et al.  Assessing Individual Differences in Human Behavior: New Concepts, Methods, and Findings , 1995 .

[43]  M. Lenzenweger,et al.  The taxonicity of schizotypy: a replication. , 1995, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[44]  N. Waller,et al.  Types of dissociation and dissociative types: A taxometric analysis of dissociative experiences , 1996 .